Board warns street trash violators of potential fines

The Monroe Village Board of Trustees addressed several issues related to proper refuse disposal and property maintenance during their May 7 meeting.

At the meeting, the board discussed the garbage violations occurring along Lake Street, which is home to several businesses. Members of the board noted that many of the garbage bins were filled with items that are not permitted to be disposed of in that manner. Monroe Village Mayor Neil Dwyer confirmed that he has been out to the area, witnessed the violations, and will be meeting with the business owners on Lake Street.

Dwyer mentioned the idea of creating garbage districts within the village, which would provide a single refuse collector to service certain areas.

“I think with the right enforcement those contained areas will be much better than what we currently have,” said Dwyer.

Trustee Debbie Behringer reminded residents to dispose of their recycling properly. She mentioned items that are not disposed of correctly could blow over into neighboring property and urged residents to use their recycling bins and to flatten cardboard boxes to ease the pickup process.

Failure to properly dispose of garbage and other debris on village property is punishable by village code, as evidenced by the board’s due process hearing for a property on North Main Street. The property was issued violations by the Building Department for failing to clear land of dead trees, brush, and other debris that could start or increase the intensity of a fire.

The property owner did not appear, and the board authorized the Village to act, at the expense of the property owner, to clear up the area. A certified copy of the resolution will be mailed to the owner, according to the board.

Water maintenance, construction

The village of Monroe is also working to ensure that the area’s groundwater is kept clean through the maintenance of its sludge lagoons. Work is underway on one such lagoon, which prevents sludge water from entering environmental water bodies, according to Trustee John Karl III. Karl noted that the village of Monroe has an opportunity to have a second lagoon reconstructed once the first one is completed. He noted that the contractor agreed to reconstruct the right side of lagoon for $200,000.

In other environmental news, Mayor Dwyer discussed the village’s dredging project. He mentioned that a pre-construction meeting held and that there were six bidders for the project. The contract will be awarded at the end of the month, and the project will start in the fall following the summer season of events.

Mayor Dwyer also provided an update on the village’s eruv construction, explaining that there will be a section of the village encompassed by a wire boundary that will “allow folks that do practice their faith the access to come out and do their thing without having individual polls which have been problematic for safety reasons.”